Improvement in surgical bandages



, JOHN S MITLEY'. Improvement'in Surgical-Bandages. No. 114,615.

Patented May-9,1871.

idtiut $iiti$ JOHN SMITLEY, OF WHITE COTTAGE, OHIO.

Letters Patent No. 114,615, dated May 9, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN SURGICAL BANDAGES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN SmrLnY, of White Cottage, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented a new and improved Surgical Bandage; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which-' Figure 1 represents a front view of my improved surgical bandage, showing it applied to the body. Figure 2 isa perspective view of the bandage. Similarletters of reference indicate corresponding arts. I) This invention relates to a new surgical apparatus for setting broken collar-bones.- No bandage has as yet been devised for this purposc,as the bone directly cannot be reached. By careful experiments and researches I have ascertained that it is held absolutely" steady whenever the arm with which it is connected is in a state of absolute rest. My improved bandage serves, therefore, to secure the arm, but allows its ad-' justmeut in such manner that a broken clavicle will be properly held while healing.

The bandage is mainly composed of a breast-plate, A, arm-pad B, how 0, lever D, and of the requisite straps.

The breast-plate is made of sheet metal and prop erly softened by cushion or otherwise, orit may be made entirely of fabric, but sufficiently strong to form a reliable support for the lever D, pivoted to its face by a pin, a.

Three, more or less, belts, b c d, which are attached to the ends of the breast-plate, serve to secure the same around the chest of the patient, said belts being buckled or otherwise tightened. v

.Tbe breast-plate carries at one end a pad, B, which fitsbehind the arm with which the broken clavicle is connected, close above the elbow of the same, as shown in fi 1.

A spring how, 0, or strap, projecting also from the plate A, is also laid over the arm and buckled toithe pad B, or to the back of one belt, so as to secure the upper arm to the plate.

e e are diagonal shoulder-straps, secured to the plate A and upper belt I: to hold the plate suspended at the proper height.

The lever D carries, at the end nearest the arm, a v

strap, f, which is buckled around the fore-arm close to the elbow.

Another strap, g, on the lever, is tied around the fore-arm nearer the hand.

That end of the lever which is furthest from the arm has a button, h, which can be fitted through one of a series of holes in a band, 73, secured across the face of the plate A. The position of the levenand-arm can thus be regulated at'will by swinging the lever on its pivot and securing it in the desired position by the button It.

The breast-plate being securely tied to the body so that it will not be displaced thereon, and the arm being in the necessary position secured to the breastplate, the ruptured collar-hone when set will he securely retained in position for healing by the application of my improved bandage.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-' The collar-bone bandage, consistingof-the breastplate, pad, bow, lever, and straps or belts, all arranged substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and described. I

' JOHN SMITLEY. Witnesses:

CH. GLRUSSELL, J. WATKINS, M. D. 

